COLUMBIA, Mo 12/10/14 (Feature) -- Now we know why Deputy City Manager Tony St. Romaine has been barking at Uber, the ride sharing service: to divert attention from another disaster on his watch, the collapse of the Columbia Star Dinner Train.

Had St. Romaine or one of his subordinates kept a better eye on the public's money, City Hallmight not be yanking its contract with the train now. City officials could have sent the train's latest owners packing before they ended up owing the city -- us -- nearly $12,000 in unpaid bills, while letting their trains -- sitting on our publicly-owned tracks -- fall into disrepair.

Like Garagezilla, red light cameras, and beleaguered Tiger Hotel TIF recipient Glyn Laverick, St. Romaine has a soft spot in his bureaucratic heart for the dinner train, excusing and defending its first owner, Central States Rail Associates CEO Mark Vaughn, after Vaughn refused to provide a disability accessible dining car, despite taking the public money.

Operated until Jan. 2014 by Francisco Magana, Vanell "was a private El Salvadorian company that provided consulting services in commercial cultivation and processing of coffee in El Salvador," according to EDGAR filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

After what Swartz and TBG called a "reverse merger,"Vanell's penny stock sticker changed from VANL to TTHX, while its EDGAR filings noted only one hard asset: the dinner train.

"In its first run after Train Travel Holdings Inc. (OTCQB: TTHX) took control, The Columbia Star Dinner Train had a successful weekend," an April 29, 2014 press release announces. "Both the new and existing staff worked together to bring this off," said Neil Swartz, CEO.

Although this third sale was not reported, the new owners held a reception that included their public relations director. "I was extremely pleased to be able to attend this weekend's train trips in person, and to document the operations of this important first entertainment train operation for TTHX," said Sharon Ford, Director of Media for Train Travel Holdings, Inc. "It was wonderful to watch."

In its most recent filing as Train Travel Holdings, (Nov. 2014) the firm showed over $1 million in losses, on this sour note:

"For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2014, the Company wrote off $169,494 of Other Receivables from Columbia Star Dinner Train, which were deemed uncollectable. As a result of our net loss from operations, net cash used in operations, deficit accumulated as of September 30, 2014, our ability to continue as a going concern is in substantial doubt."

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The Columbia Star Dinner Train's last run was Oct. 19, St. Romaine says, coinciding with another oddball incident in its short but turbulent life. TBG/TTHI somehow "unwound" the dinner train acquisition, an Oct. 31 press release explains. "We are assessing our options over the next few days," TBG's Swartz said, calling the months-old acquisition "null and void."

St. Romaine, meanwhile, says the city plans to file suit to collect the past due bills from Train Travel Holdings, which has declared to the SEC, "it is likely that we will not be able to achieve significant profitability and might need to cease operations."